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Admit it, you like a good baseball fight.

Despite the national pastime's gentlemanly nature and deliberate pace, every now and then tempers flare, fists fly and a rhubarb explodes. Most of these incidents are short-lived and relatively tame. But other times the action only intensifies or makes for weird, surprising, humorous or even dangerous on-field happenings.

With that in mind, we've attempted to rank the ugliest, weirdest and most entertaining baseball fights of the past 40 years. Some are famous ones you've likely seen before, but we've also tried to spotlight more obscure fights that stand above the usual hardball brouhaha for one reason or another.

In general, we avoided instances that resulted in noisy but ultimately minor altercations between teams, unless there was something particularly weird/amusing/noteworthy about it. And one big caveat: To be included on the list, there has to be video easily available online.

192013: Diamondbacks-Dodgers

The setup: The Diamondbacks and Dodgers take turns hitting each other with pitches, causing two bench-clearing incidents, the second of which gets particularly heated and physical.

Why it makes the list: Though this one barely goes beyond the routine pushing and shoving found in most brawls, it ends up dangerously close to getting out of hand when things reach the area near the first-base dugout. It's also noteworthy because it features a seething Mark McGwire being restrained by Arizona coach Matt Williams and, perhaps best of all, everything is narrated by Vin Scully.

172016: Blue Jays-Rangers

The setup: With hard feelings still simmering after Jose Bautista's platinum-level bat flip in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS, the Rangers finally retaliate and hit him in his final at-bat against them in 2016. Moments later, on a would-be double-play ball, Bautista slides hard into Texas’ Rougned Odor, who takes exception. There was pushing and shoving, and then Odor clocked Bautista right in the jaw. Then it was on.

Why it makes the list: The Bautista-Odor incident is noteworthy because it’s a rare example of when a punch actually lands during a baseball brawl. The incident netted Odor a seven-game suspension and earned Bautista a one-game sit-down.

161990: Brewers-Mariners

Why it makes the list: The main brawl leads to a couple of mini-brawls before order is restored — and then unrestored. Then order is restored again — and then it’s unrestored again. Finally, cooler heads prevail — until they don’t. The tension lingers and eventually someone slams Brewers manager Tom Trebelhorn to the ground, which sets everything off again. In the end, six players are ejected. This fight also features a slightly battered but stone-faced Randy Johnson, who looks not at all intimidated by the goings-on and ready to lend his towering frame to the festivities.

151995: A’s-Angels

Why it makes the list: The fight has two unique aspects: 1) Fisticuffs begin not with an angry batter, but with the batter’s angry teammate. In this case, it’s Chili Davis, who is on second and strolls toward the mound to get things going. 2) A’s manager Tony La Russa gets involved after someone from the Angels blind sides Corsi. La Russa later emerges from the pile with crazy vengeance eyes.

142003: Yankees-Red Sox

The setup: Roger Clemens throws near Manny Ramirez’s head in retaliation for Pedro Martinez buzzing Karim Garcia in Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS. Things escalate quickly.

Why it makes the list: Yankees-Red Sox dust-ups are always interesting, but this one is especially noteworthy because Martinez throws 72-year-old Yankees coach Don Zimmer to the ground after Zimmer tries to come at him. It wasn’t Pedro’s finest moment, but it’s become a touchstone event in the teams’ ongoing rivalry.

131989: Phillies-Mets

The setup: Phillies closer Roger McDowell jaws at the Mets’ Gregg Jefferies as he grounds out to end the game at the Mets' home finale in 1989. This rubs Jefferies the wrong way and leads to a post-game brouhaha.

Why it makes the list: It’s quite unusual for a brawl to happen after the game, especially after a seemingly routine play. Also, it’s fun to watch McDowell’s rapid-fire set of punches as Jefferies lifts him up and slams him to the ground.

121976: Red-Sox-Yankees

Why it makes the list: After the intense but brief Piniella-Fisk fight, Red Sox pitcher Bill Lee, who separates his shoulder in the skirmish, goes after a Yankees player and things escalate into another white-hot but short-lived brawl. Also, Yankees-Red Sox fights in the '70s just seem especially gritty.

111993: Mariners-Orioles

The setup: Orioles pitcher Mike Mussina hits the Mariners’ Bill Haselman, who charges the mound and sets off the rough stuff.

Why it makes the list: This is another one of those fights that just won't end, as the main event eventually breaks into undercard action. And just as order seems restored, more shenanigans commence, with famed ‘90s hothead Norm Charlton playing a key role and eventually exiting with a ripped jersey. Plus, angry Lou Piniella at the end.

101984: Reds-Braves

The setup: Claudell Washington of the Braves seeks revenge against Reds pitcher Mario Soto after being knocked down earlier in the game.

Why it makes the list: This is a unique brawl for several reasons. 1) It starts a few innings after the initial offending incident; 2) Washington intentionally throws his bat on a swing so he’ll have a reason to walk toward Soto; 3) His “charging” of the mound is as calm as can be until the first contact; 4) The umpire is the first person to hit the ground in the fight; 5) In a rare move, the pitcher throws the ball at the batter after the fight starts.

92010: Cardinals-Reds

The setup: Bad blood is evident even before a pitch is thrown in the bottom of the first inning in Cincinnati as Cardinals catchier Yadier Molina and Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips begin jawing at home plate.

Why it makes the list: The brawl is not the direct result of a beaning or any other obvious sign of aggression. And after the initial clearing of benches, it appears a fracas has been avoided, but then trash-talk escalates and within seconds a mass of humanity is pressed against the wall and netting behind home plate in what could’ve been a huge disaster for both teams. Despite the nastiness, the only people ejected are Cardinals manager Tony La Russa and Reds manager Dusty Baker.

81996: Astros-Expos

The setup: Astros pitcher Danny Darwin plunks the Expos’ Henry Rodriguez, who charges the mound and starts a full-scale melee.

Why it makes the list: There’s a lot to unpack here. The initial fight quickly spins off into secondary fights, which include some oddities. One is diminutive Astros outfielder John Cangelosi —at 5-8 — pulling off some of the most vicious moves of the entire skirmish, including a body slam of 6-7 Jeff Juden. Another is Astros manager Terry Collins getting hit in the face with a helmet thrown by the Expos’ Moises Alou. As these things go, this is an often-overlooked brawl that holds its own with the more famous ones.

71993: White Sox-Rangers

The setup: Robin Ventura isn’t happy about getting nailed with a Nolan Ryan fastball and charges the mound.

Why it makes the list: In perhaps the greatest instance of “I regret everything!” of all time, the 46-year-old Ryan immediately puts the 25-year-old Ventura in a headlock and starts pounding him into submission. For everyone except Ventura (and perhaps Ryan), this will never not be funny.

61977: Yankees-Royals

The setup: George Brett slides hard into third base on a triple in the first inning of Game 5 of the 1977 ALCS against the Yankees. New York third baseman Graig Nettles takes offense and things quickly so south.

Why it makes the list: Despite the blatant aggression shown by Brett and Nettles, there are no ejections. Chance of that happening in 2016? Zero.

51978: Angels-Twins

Why it makes the list: "Grich is hittin' anybody in sight!"The brawl goes from 0 to 60 in record time. The fun starts with Grich near the mound, then spills toward the third-base foul line as others get involved and things get more heated. It eventually ends with Grich jawing with Twins fans, who then throw things at him. Many punches are thrown, a few connect, but only Grich is ejected.

41986: Giants-Cardinals

The setup: Everyone is already in a bad mood after a play at the plate earlier in the game, so two inside pitches to Vince Coleman — and the ejection of Giants pitcher Frank Williams — only increase the negativity. Then things get really interesting.

Why it makes the list: This is a slow build. General unhappiness leads to benches clearing, which leads to yelling, which leads to pushing, which leads to shoving, which leads to … well ... body slams, high school wrestling moves, Cardinals manager Whitey Herzog trying to throw a player to the ground, police on the field, and a full-of-rage Coleman being carried into the clubhouse by a teammate. You know, fun stuff.

31984: Reds-Cubs

The setup: The Cubs' Ron Cey hits a ball down the left field line that's ruled a home run. The Reds disagree, and that sets off more than 30 minutes of weirdness.

Why it makes the list: This whole thing is just bizarre. Red pitcher Mario Soto is responsible for all the action, starting with giving up Cey's "home run." He goes ballistic on umpire Steve Ripley, shoving him during the argument. Soto is ejected, only he doesn't realize he's ejected until much later. That's when he rushes the field in anger and is intercepted by Cubs coach Don Zimmer, which sets off a benches-clearing fracas. Oh, and then Soto tries to attack fans with a bat after someone throws a bag of ice at him from the stands. It's truly one of the weirder melees of all time. To bring everything full circle, the home run that set all this off is eventually ruled foul. Watch all 30-plus minutes unfold here (embedding is disabled). The real action starts at the 20:15 mark.

11984: Padres-Braves

The setup: The Braves’ Pascual Perez drills the Padres’ Alan Wiggins in the back on the game’s first pitch. From that point on Perez becomes a target — and things get absolutely crazy.

Why it makes the list: This remains the standard by which all other baseball dust-ups are measured. It’s a train wreck you can’t ignore: Multiple bench-clearing incidents, Perez wielding a bat to defend himself, 13 ejections — and fans throwing beer at players! It’s the only brawl on this list that includes arrests, and it’s the only one that features a player ending up shirtless (hi, Ed Whitson).